


The Bells

by cakeiton



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-09 01:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3230903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cakeiton/pseuds/cakeiton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lesson was learned and it was time for the tradition to be passed on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I don't own anything Naruto.

...

The summer night was cooler due to northern winds sweeping through the city and the fresher feel of the surrendering heat had the village in high spirits. Many were out to enjoy the perfect night, but some had real cause for celebration.

"Oi, next round's on me!"

Sakura clicked her tongue at her boisterous teammate. "Nay, Naruto. You can't show up tomorrow hungover."

"Yeah," Kiba barked from somewhere behind her. "Wouldn't want your genins to think you're a dead-last loser."

His fist shook in retaliation, but grin betrayed his threat. "I'll show you who's dead-last, you dog!"

At the end of the bar a tall, slouching man was taking cover. The silver hair peeking out from his orange book shook as Kakashi sighed. "Why did I agree to come out, again?"

In the seat next to him, Sasuke only shrugged before taking a sip of his beer. "I am asking myself the same thing."

The medic-nin placed on a hand each on their shoulders gently, concealing the strength she was actually capable of, and leaned in to be heard over the loud patrons. "Because this is a big deal," she answered. "We will be getting our own genin teams, but we will forever be Team Kakashi."

Finally, their older leader looked up from the worn pages. "Am I really saddled with you three forever?"

All of his ex-students rolled their eyes. "It's more like we are stuck with you, sensei," the kunoichi teased.

Despite her protests, Naruto forced another drink in Sakura's hands as he moved towards the elder nin. "Sorry to say it, old man, but you can't get rid of us that easily."

His gray eyes crinkled with his easy smile. "Clearly." However, his voice sounded a little dejected once his attention went back to the book. "And I'm not that old."

Sasuke scoffed into his glass and Sakura covered her giggles with her hand. Kakashi spared one more glance to the exasperating ninjas. "My first impression of you guys was right; I hate you."

His depreciating ire earned a bright grin from Naruto, but they knew to stop mocking him after that. Throughout the night, Sakura's cheeks refused to lose their pink hue as the alcohol warmed her over. The other boys repeatedly challenged each other with silly missions and drinking penalties, unable to sway the lanky bibliophile into their game, until the hour became late and the bar began to quiet down.

"Oh damn," the tipsy blue-eyed ninja moaned once he stood up. "Tomorrow should be fun."

"I told you, Naruto," Sakura admonished. "You need to learn how to handle your beer."

Sasuke's dark eyes glazed over and he nodded. "Seriously, dobe. You are a jonin now. You should always-" With a crash, the stool the Uchiha had been sitting on suddenly became tangled in his legs and he feel. Naruto fell as well in uproarious laughter that made the brooding man whisper dark threats. Unconcerned, Sakura's pink hair bounced as she giggled. Honestly, she tried not to laugh, but Sasuke's slip of grace was too rare of a moment. She was still snickering when she helped both of her boys up and they all headed towards the door together.

"Oi, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto called back. "You coming?"

The masked-man appeared melded to his spot with his lazy posture. Shaking his head, he closed his book and grinned. "Not quite yet. Get home safe." The younger ninjas waved farewell, but Kakashi called out, "Oh, Sakura-chan. Can you stay for a moment, please?"

The confusion that swept over her face was comical in her inebriation, but after a hasty good-bye to the other two she picked up the stool Sasuke had almost broken and took a seat next to her ex-teacher. "Everything okay?"

"Oh yes," he leaned back and crossed his long arms over his jonin vest. "I just wanted to talk, is all."

Her brow rose, but she shrugged off his odd request. "Alright, but not for too long. I don't want to be late on my first day, Kakashi-sensei." Her teasing smile was a bit loopy and the unrelenting sake-induced blush matched her hair.

He chuckled in response. "All those old ladies and poor kittens will have to do without your assistance then, Sakura-sensei."

"Ooohhh…" Her green eyes went wide hearing the title and her cheerful expression dropped. "That sounds weird."

His head tilted to the side. "How so?"

"It's silly," she tried to explain while waving her hand dismissively. "I'm no longer a genin, but hearing that title sounds like I am on your level."

He gave her a long, languid blink. "You have been a jonin long enough."

She snorted and shook her head. "Still…"

"We are equals, Sakura-sensei," Kakashi interrupted. "Don't forget that."

Her blush heightened at his compliment, and she looked away when she could not think of a response.

"Speaking of," the man started and reached into his pocket. Her jaw dropped when she heard delicate chiming above the dimming clamor of the bar. She searched his gray eyes for answers when he held out the two small bells that had meant so much to her and their team.

Her mouth suddenly felt dry, but she managed to stutter, "W-what?"

His voice was even and deep as he lightly held the attaching string. "You might already know that my teacher gave this same test to my team when we first got out of the academy. However, it has been a Konoha tradition since before the Legendary Sannin were originally formed. My sensei received the bells from Jiraiya-sennin, who was given them from Hiruzen-sama, and so on. For generations, they have represented the importance of teamwork, camaraderie, and, of course, the necessary devious ridicule of young ninjas' delicate nerves. Each teacher has used this test to discover some of the best nins in the village, and now," he held them out towards her, "it is your turn."

Her hands continued to play with the hem of her skirt instead of reaching out to claim them. "Wouldn't Naruto-"

He shook his head, disrupting her modest dispute. "No one doubts his strengths. It is true he is a powerful ninja and a steadfast warrior. More than that, he is a good friend. Naruto believes in everybody and knows the importance of teamwork, but you were the reason the team had stayed together and came back as one. Your role in Naruto's success is just as statured. Plus, you are quite accomplished yourself and understand it is better to tackle situations together than to take it all on your own." He rang the bells with a small shake of his hand. "They suit you more."

Her breaths were short and eyes glossed over with honor. Finally, Sakura tentatively wrapped her fingers around the unpretentious metal bells and held them reverently. With a nod, Kakashi stood up to leave and patted her on the shoulder as he passed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura spun quickly in her seat and beamed. "Thank you!"

He flashed a quick smile back. "Of course, Sakura-sensei."

"Ugh," she ungracefully rolled her eyes and closed the distance between them. "That still sounds weird."

"Oh? What should I call you then?"

"Well, we are friends. How about just 'Sakura'," she offered with a wide grin.

Challenging the young woman, his chin lifted. "Only if you do the same."

Sakura's bewilderment reddened her face. "That is even _worse_!"

"…Should I be insulted or flattered?"

Bringing the bells to her chest, her strong laugh filled the room. "Neither. You have just always been 'sensei'."

"Not in a long time, Sakura," he exhaled and her shoulders hitched at the lack of honorific. "We're friends, right?" He reached out and ruffled her hair, keeping his hand on top of her head until she agreed.

Her form slouched with his nostalgic gesture and her lips curled in a crooked smirk. She couldn't argue against her own insistence. "Thank you," she conceded, "Kakashi."

"Whoa," he joked. "That is weird." Together, they laughed playfully at each others' expense and, without realizing it, Kakashi's fingers trailed from the top of her hair to tuck an errant strand of pink hair behind her ear. Her blush crept down her neck and she froze. Their joviality faded as a heat rose between them. He was thankful for the mask, because suddenly his face felt a bit hotter as well. They were both confused, but did not push away, and he wished she would stop staring at him.

Breaking out of the moment, Kakashi cleared his throat and immediately pushed his hand in his pockets, brushing off the exchange with his lackadaisical sigh. "Good luck tomorrow, Sakura." He made sure he took measured steps out of the bar so as not to appear he was running away.

She used another moment to come back to her senses before flying towards the door and delaying him one more time. "Sens- ur- Kakashi!"

Without a reply, the droopy man stopped walking in the middle of the road and looked over his shoulder.

Sakura struggled to find the right words. "How did you know? I mean, with Team Seven. How did you know we passed?"

A cool night breeze wafted through the narrow street and tousled his shaggy hair. His gaze followed the wind out into the dark and only realized after a moment it was in the direction of the Memorial Stone. He took a deep breath before dropping his shoulders. "I asked the same question when I got them."

"And?" she prompted, unable to shake the nervous edge in her voice.

He glimpsed back her way. "Same way you'll know." Even though she could only read his smile in his eyes, she knew what he had meant. He gave her one last wave and disappeared in the shadows. With a proud gait, Sakura marched in the opposite direction towards home, enjoying the jingling of the bells with every step.

…

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own anything Naruto.

A/N: Baka means 'idiot'. Old sesskag habits die hard :] You might see a "Keh" in there as well.

…

The short reprieve from the night ended once the summer morning came. Relentlessly, the sun blazed down on the village hidden amongst the leaves and the high spirits from only a few hours earlier evaporated in the heat. Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing the thick air deeply as she walked down the bright and dusty road, but moved with an extra bounce in her step to hear the small bells ring quietly in her vest pocket. She would stop briefly to look into shop windows or wave to friends and acquaintances lounging on rooftops, yet her mind was occupied with thoughts about her conversation with Kakashi. He had meant many things to her in the past, from teacher to team leader to friend, but never, until today, had she really seen them as equals. It wasn't that she was not recognized for her achievements or that she needed his acknowledgement, but the fact that he had reached out to do so was one of the biggest compliments of her life. She did not need his approval and found herself enjoying it all the same.

A familiar chakra signature deliberately ebbed at her senses. Continuing her leisurely pace, Sakura's glare shifted when her long time friend appeared in a flash at her side and eyed her with feigned scorn.

"You are looking too perky for such a hot day, Sakura," Ino critiqued, fanning her blonde bangs from her face.

She could not help smiling in response. "What can I say? I had a good night."

The mind-meddling ninja's blue eyes appeared ready to pop from her skull. "WHAT!? I thought you went out with your boys? Who did you go home with? Please don't tell me it was that civilian medic again."

"Geez, Ino," she admonished. "Nothing like that."

"Well, then it couldn't have been that interesting."

Sakura narrowed her green eyes. "Perv."

"Prude."

"Pig."

"Five-head."

"Ugh!" Sakura threw her arms up. "Why are we friends again?"

Ino smiled brightly and hugged her around the waist as they walked. "Cause who else could put up with us?"

The pink-haired kunoichi giggled as they rounded the corner and approach the ninja academy.

"Oh good, the school's air conditioner is running." Ino said with relief and their steps quickened subconsciously at the mention of climate control. "So, did you go over the files Iruka-sensei gave you?"

Sakura shrugged. "I just looked at their names. After having first-hand experience with Naruto's unthinkable progress, I didn't want to form an opinion before meeting them."

They reached the door and Ino prodded while she held it open, "But, aren't you at least a little curious?"

"Of course, but I figured I would let them make the first impression."

Both sighed once the cold air goose-fleshed their skin. The door closed off the hot day behind them before the blonde asked, "What did Kakashi-sensei think of you guys at first, then?"

Sakura's steps faltered when her mind instantly went back to that first day. Naruto had set up such a simple prank, one that no jounin should have fallen for, and one she had secretly enjoyed. It was a good thing Kakashi's hair was already such a light color and unaffected by the chalk dust, because she would have not been able to mask laughing at the masked man.

"He said he hated us," she responded with wicked mirth.

Ino's laugh echoed down the halls. "Well, any first impression has to be better than that!"

This time, Sakura held the door as they walked into the classroom filled with antsy genin and a few of their jounin friends. "Here's hoping."

.

Iruka introduced each ninja to their respective team leaders with practiced ease and a sentimental smile. What made the teacher stand out amongst his peers was that he truly cared for each student that passed through the academy. Yet, it made it incredibly difficult for him to shut down his professionalism come graduation day. Their job was known for its grim mortality rate and he had to be confident sending them off into deadly situations. The best he could do was to train them with all his heart and ensure they were paired with the best suited jounin teachers.

With little fanfare, Ino had received the only single-gendered team and was satisfied with the way the three girls had looked at her with wonder.

Kiba's bunch were drawing inappropriate sketches on the chalkboard behind him while Shino's three shied away from the reticent man.

The room stilled once the name Hyuuga was announced for Sasuke's team. Hinata's little sister, Hanabi, walked up to her new sensei and they both assessed the other as enemies. The twin boys that accompanied her hung their mouths open, though it was not clear if it was because of whom they were teamed with or the hostility shown for their new teacher already. Defiantly, the young Byukugen user addressed him as, "Uchiha," deliberately foregoing the honorific. His eyes narrowed and head jerked to the side, directing her to stand behind him. Finally, after another cold glance, she followed the order.

Next, it was Sakura's turn, and her heart jumped as her eyes searched the crowd as Iruka called their names.

"Suzuki Shou."

"Hai!" The boy ironically appeared mismatched with his high, messy blonde plait and expressive golden eyes. His grin stretched wide on his tan face and gleamed like the sun. He marched down the aisle with his head high to take his place behind Sakura. They nodded at each other before the next team member was announced.

"Narita Manami."

"WHAT!?"

The proud boy behind her screamed his disbelief along with a girl who sat all the way in the back with her feet propped up on another's chair. Sakura's attention darted back and forth between the two and could immediately feel the tension. If Shou came across like sunshine, then Manami was ice. Her crystalline eyes were partially hidden behind shaggy, steel grey bangs that contrasted favorably with her porcelain skin. The rest of her hair was cut short and the too-large, dusty purple tunic hung off her. In fact, until she had spoken, Sakura had thought she was a boy. Manami stormed to her new team, taking a spot to the jounin woman's opposite side, and both genin began to fidget.

Sakura sighed. Things were not looking well for her.

The other kids snickered at the two until Iruka cleared his throat and read off the last name.

"Hayashi Tarou."

There was no response, but a tall boy rose from his seat in the middle of the room. Sakura's eyes widened. He was not fat, but a thickly built, olive-skinned, severe looking kid with calculating black eyes that reminded her of Shikamaru's. His long, black hair was pulled tightly into a low ponytail that swayed when he approached his new teacher and gave her a bow. She was taken aback by the gesture, but eased when he rose and gave her a smirk that affected only half of his face. One small incisor was missing from his grin and she could see the freckles that speckled his nose, softening his appearance. He took his place in between the other two and the anxiety hit her hard. These were the three young ninjas who she was now solely responsible for. Their achievements and failures were her own. Their lives and their deaths were now completely on her shoulders. She tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in her throat and found it hard to concentrate on the rest of the genin assignments.

Everyone was dismissed shortly after, other than three surly children that belonged to an extremely overdue Naruto. Sakura ensured them he would be along soon and wished for karmic justice that they would prank him for his tardiness.

Once outside, her team found a quiet clearing to talk and she stood quietly to look them over. Shou's fingers were laced and resting on top of his head as he complained about the heat to the large Tarou, who only nodded every other sentence. Manami lounged back against a wall and cleaned under her nails with a small, specially made kunai, deliberately ignoring the group. With nothing else to do other than move forward, the pink-haired sensei steeled her nerves.

"Okay, you three. I need you to each take one of these." Winking, Sakura held up thin strips of chakra paper. The boys looked at them curiously, but Manami scoffed, earning a raised pink eyebrow for the disrespect.

The girl averted her eyes and murmured. "I'm water."

"Oh!" Sakura praised, forgetting her annoyance with the dejected looking konoichi. "That is impressive that you already know, Manami-chan."

She shrugged in response, but before Sakura could ask how she knew Shou was practically bounding towards her. "Hey hey, wait, those tell you what kind of chakra you have!?"

The medic jounin took an uneasy step back and held up her other hand to keep the blonde boy from accosting her. "Hai, but more specifically your chakra affinity. You need to be able to channel your chakra correctly to activate the- HEY!"

Shou had reached around and yanked the papers from her grip before rushing back to Tarou. He looked at the slip handed to him in confusion, but the other's gold eyes were wide and anxious. "Hey hey, Manami-chan," the energetic nin urged. "How do you work these?"

Her icicle eyes darkened. "How should I know?"

Shou gritted his teeth. "You just said that you-"

"That doesn't mean I will tell you."

"Stop being such a brat, Tsunami."

The kunai in her grip rammed into the hard, dirt ground and she growled. "My name is MA-nami, Baka."

"TSSSSSSUUUUUUUU-nnaaaaaaaa-MI!"

Sakura felt a vein in her forehead throb.

"Both of you," Tarou finally spoke, and his voice was deep and mischievous. "Shut up."

The fire and ice duo had immediately listened to their teammate and both crossed their arms while turning away from the other. Sakura was sure she heard some explicit words mumbled from the girl, as well.

She fought the desire to rub at her temples and settled for resting her hands on her hips. "Well, if you are done, I will explain." After replacing the slip of paper Shou had crushed in his tight fist, she held up one of her own. "It takes practice, but you have to mold and channel just a small amount of chakra into the paper, and once you do," she did, and the paper altered. "It will react."

Tarou stared at his like he was interrogating an enemy nin while Shou used both hands to grip tightly onto the special sheet. Manami had taken one offered to her and, after a moment of heavy concentration, the slip eventually dampened.

"Have you never used these before, Manami-chan?" Sakura asked.

The girl attempted to neutralize her expression as she shook her head. "My whole family had water-based chakra, so I just already knew."

Slightly confused, her pink hair bobbed as she nodded. Usually, a history of hereditary affinity was a trait of powerful clans, but things like this weren't entirely unheard of. Perhaps, she would have to read through the files after all. She smiled at the down-casted tomboy before they were interrupted by a loud shout.

"AH-HA!" Shou beamed victoriously. "Hey hey, look! I got two now!" Sure enough, the chakra paper was split right down the middle, signifying wind-based chakra. Sakura tried not to groan.

Shou repeated the process several times with the paper while Sakura assisted Tarou with his own. He had a sufficient enough chakra, but she could tell he had a problem molding it for use. A few minutes passed, while Manami and Shou bickered in the background, before Tarou's finally crumbled into dust. He was earth-based. She patted him on the back reassuring and directed them all to take a seat.

"Alright," Sakura leaned against a tree for the shade, escaping the heat. "As a team we should get to know each other, not just our abilities. So, let's go around and tell each other our likes, our dislikes, and our dreams for the future." She gave them all a big smile, which was only returned by the loudest of the three.

"Hey hey, Sakura-sensei. My favorite thing is being a ninja!"

"Brown-noser," Manami grumbled under her breath.

Shou growled. "And my least favorite thing is loud-mouth girls!" They shot each other a look and Tarou sighed despondently, foreshadowing Sakura's mood. "One day," he announced proudly, "I will hold the record for the most completed missions!"

The dark-skinned ninja shook his head with a low chuckle. "No one tracks that, Shou-san."

The blonde winked. "That's what they want you to think! Sakura-sensei, how many missions have you done?"

Sakura balked. If she were to tell him her estimated number, it would probably crush his dream. Instead, she smiled nervously and shook her hand. "Nay, Shou-chan, just concentrate on getting home safe."

Manami smirked. "Yeah, baka, because your tally will be in the negative numbers, anyway."

Shou jumped up to get at the girl, but Tarou had already grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down to the ground. The boy seethed, but acquiesced, and the peacekeeper of the group answered Sakura's standing question. "I like a lot of things alright, more than I dislike," he was vague, but his voice was smooth, low, and commanding. The medic-nin could only just pick up a devious note to it as well. "And any ninja should know it is not wise to dream about the future."

Sakura sulked. Tarou was a cold kid and the human equivalent to a sledgehammer. She was used to finessing the snobbish and the flighty, but not the brutish. Her green eyes turned towards Manami, hoping to get a brighter answer, but with the short time she knew the girl it did not seem likely.

Her first impression theory was not going as well as she had hoped.

The pale konoichi nodded and answered with her off-kilter smile that exposed an elongated, and sharpened, canine. "My favorite thing is being a loud mouth girl, so I really don't like cocky boys." Tarou leveled Shou with a pointed glare to keep him from reacting. "And," the girl continued, "I will be the first in our class to make jounin rank."

"HA!" Shou brushed off the large boy. "No way! I'll get there years before you!"

Manami jumped up as well to face him head-on. "Just try it, baka!"

Sakura's headache pulse.

"Try me right now, Tsunami!"

"Manami!"

"BOTH OF YOU," Tarou bellowed, and even the teacher stilled. "Shut the hell up!"

Yet again, they huffed and faced away from each other. Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and sarcastically thought, "Best nins in the village, huh Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh, Sakura-sensei," Manami beckoned, drawing Sakura out of her thoughts. "What about you?"

She paused and considered how to answer. Only now, being in his position, did she understand Kakashi's reticence back when they had asked him the same question. An adult's interests were not like a child's. Grown ninja held onto deep scars and twisted their dreams in the desire to ensure those wounds would never open up again. She had known, survived, and delivered death. She had destroyed the dreams of others for the sake of her own. Only Naruto could still fantasize with a child's mind, because he had a knack for making his dreams come true. So, she decided on simple answers with a cheerful voice instead. The way her eyes crinkled into a smile, reminiscent of her old sensei when he was sparring them a cruel fact of life, didn't feel as deceptive as it was. "Well, my name is Haruno Sakura. I trained under the Hokage and Kakashi-senpai. I really enjoy being with my friends and hate when they are away. It is my hope to run the hospital when Tsunade-shishou retires."

Shou lifted his head. "What about your husband?" he asked strangely.

Her mind halted. "Um, I'm not married."

"Ah," Manami teased. "What about your boyfriend?"

"What-" Sakura had the distinct impression she was suddenly being flanked. "No, no boyfriend."

Tarou raised an eyebrow and smirked with his semi-toothless grin. "Girlfriend?"

Her control snapped. "You guys…" The flush that overcame her face was only heightened by the dangerous glint in her eyes as she stared down the three thankfully silent ninjas. The other two used the bigger Tarou as a human shield as they looked up at her sudden and powerful anger. They were clearly shocked by their first encounter with a jounin, however were too inexperienced to realize the impassioned fire in her glare had nothing to do with a highly developed chakra.

She was going to be nice about the bell test, but now these miniature ninja were just asking for the same sort of hell she had to endure.

"Survival training tomorrow morning," she bit between gritted teeth. "Before sunrise. Training Field 3. Don't eat breakfast."

Sakura stormed off, leaving her bewildered, and frightened, team to ponder what 'survival training' had meant.

When they finally caught their breaths and thought themselves safe, Shou's lip curled and he joked, "I can see why she's not married now," earning an appreciative chuckle from Tarou.

"Keh," Manami smiled, holstering her kunai, "I like her."

.

A pair of chopsticks dropped to the worn wooden counter in chaotic clinks as Naruto sputtered. "You did not!"

Sasuke shrugged and looked away, avoiding the sight of chewed food in the blond man's gaping mouth. "It was no different than what Kakashi did to us. One day, they might be asked to decide between the lives of one teammate over the other."

Sakura tsked and interjected. "That was different, Sasuke. Holding a kunai to your throat is completely different than summoning poisonous snakes to crush a genin!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke set his utensils down. "The lesson was the same and it was important." He paused to fold his hands together and rest his mouth against them in a pensive manner, as he had done so often when he was a kid. "There is no choice; it is your comrades at all cost." His abstract was quiet and held the guilt the Uchiha carried for forgetting that lesson years ago.

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but Naruto began to laugh. "The poor bastard probably pissed himself!"

It was crude, but she began to smile along with him until she noticed the disgusted look on their brooding teammate's face. "Oh no, he didn't really, did he?"

He shot at Sakura that said all she needed to know and Naruto laughed harder until a sharp elbow made its way into his ribs. Clutching his side and catching his breath, he still managed to ask, "So, how did Hinata-chan's sister do?"

Sasuke looked off into space for a thoughtful moment before simply replying, "She chose wrong."

After they calmed they had all sat silent for a moment. Hinata herself had proven to be a loyal and strong comrade. Her steadfastness towards her friends was almost on par with Naruto's own. There were rumors of Hanabi's special treatment within the clan and most of the village was anxious to see what she was capable of, especially since her older sister was passed up in favor of the younger daughter to lead the clan. The Hyuuga's history was traditional and dark, and the young girl was raised to idolize those values. Whoever had decided to put her on Sasuke's team was either mad or a complete genius. He was someone who knew the burdens of a clan name. He knew what pressures the village put upon your shoulders because of the power of your eyes. Hyuugas and Uchihas alike were raised to believe blood was thicker than Konoha water. If anyone was to teach the girl different, it would be one who broke from tradition to become his own ninja, albeit by the most difficult route imaginable.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Naruto began the tale of his own team. "Well, at least your genin didn't leave the academy without you."

"That's because you were an hour late, dobe."

"Nay, still. We at least stayed until Kakashi-sensei showed up."

Sakura snorted. "Maybe if we didn't, he would have been on time from then on."

Naruto mouth fell open. "He was mad enough because of the chalk eraser. I can't imagine what he would have done if we were not there."

"So," Sasuke questioned with mild interest, "what did you do?"

"I chased all three of them down, is what! I had my Shadow Clones looking everywhere." The blonde gulped down another large bite. "I made them hunt my clones around for hours after that."

Sakura laughed. "Well, as loud as you are, that shouldn't have been that much of a challenge."

The blonde scoffed and leaned back in his chair to rest his intertwined fingers on his head. "Yeah, you would think."

She blinked disbelieving and the sounds from the market played behind them. "What, seriously?"

He closed his blue eyes and sounded almost wistful. "They know the basics alright. They're just… not ninja, you know?"

"Neither were you," Sasuke reasoned and Naruto nodded.

Sakura, however, tilted her head and ran her fingers through her short, pink hair. "Are you going to pass them?"

Both male teammates looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.

"Well," she was suddenly unsure of herself, "if you don't think they have what it takes, you aren't going to pass them, are you?"

The two men looked at each other a moment. "Iruka wouldn't give us genin to fail, Sakura-chan," Naruto explained in a lecturing tone that irritated the konoichi. "Failing teams is just something Kakashi-sensei did to get out of teaching."

She slumped back in her chair and glowered at her boys. The night before with Kakashi had meant as much to her as being praised by Tsunade. She believed what Kakashi had said about the bells and what they represented. The Will of Fire was in each Konoha ninja, and that first test had been the first real lesson in becoming the ninja she was today. It wasn't him foregoing his duty that caused him to fail every student until her team. He was fulfilling that responsibility to the fullest. Of course, you had to actually know Kakashi to ever claim he wasn't just being lazy.

"If that is true," she argued, "then why did he pass us?"

"It was the last Uchiha and the Kyuubi vessel," Sasuke rationalized a bit arrogantly. "I doubt he had a choice."

Naruto instinctually cowered when Sakura pursed her lips. "Well, then I'm glad I was just along for the ride…"

Sasuke huffed, but the apathetic teammate attempted atonement. "No no, Sakura-chan, you are an amazing ninja! I bet your genin are awed by you!" Her pointed glare told him she wasn't amused, or satisfied. He chuckled nervously, then rubbed the back of his neck and tried to shift their conversation. "What did you make them do, anyway?"

Her crossed arms relaxed. "Well, I haven't yet. I'm meeting them tomorrow morning."

"Ha," Naruto jumped on the lighter subject. "Did you tell them to skip breakfast too?"

She smiled wickedly and Sasuke's attention perked. It was no secret that Sakura had a short temper or that her chakra control was on par with the Hokage. However, very few kept it in mind at all times just how clever she was. If her grin was devilish, there was sure to be hell. "What are you going to do?" he asked as his own iniquitous interest glossed his eyes.

The moment stretched purposefully and she raised her chin with a slightly smug tilt. Her prideful shoulders squared and she reached into her vest pocket. Naruto picked up his bowl to slurp down the last of his ramen, lest he be accused of staring at her chest, right when the delicate chiming of the bells filled the silence between them.

Sasuke's eyes widened and Naruto began choking on his food again.

"Are those?" The Uchiha asked, almost indelicately.

"Yep!" Her grin broadened.

Naruto wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "How did you get them?"

She felt a familiar headache form at her temple. "How do you think?"

The men took a long moment, and a couple glances at each other, to come up with an answer while Sakura became less and less amused. Finally, Sasuke looked directly in her eyes and accused, "You poisoned him?"

"What?" she could not tell if they were being serious. "No, of course not."

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura expected his acknowledgement. "You drugged him?"

She growled. "No!"

Sasuke's lip rose deviously along with his brow, ignoring the threat in front of him. "Seduced him?"

"UGH! What is wrong with you two!?" She was beginning to wonder what was wrong with everyone today. "He gave them to me."

They both stared at her in silence and she began to doubt. Suddenly, as her form slackened, she thought they would tease her. Or debase her. Or discount Kakashi's judgment. Maybe, they would even feel sorry for her as if the bells were some sort of equalizer.

Instead, after an awkward moment, Naruto looked awed. "Wow."

"Really?" Her face lit up.

Sasuke calmly reached for his drink. "It makes sense."

Her breath caught as the apprehension disappeared. Romantic notions between the two have been dead since his return to the village, but his opinion was still coveted, and his praise held weight. "Thanks you guys." She felt a rare sting in her eyes and forced herself not to cry. "That… that means a lot."

Sasuke shrugged it off, but Naruto beamed.

"So," his teasing tone was back. "Going to show up late?"

"Oh yeah," she sarcastically countered back through her laugh. "And then I'm going to read porn in public and try to kill one of them."

The raven-haired man's expression darkened. "I still believe that is an effective training method."

"Yeah," Naruto snorted. "Until your snake gets used for toilet paper."

Sakura tried to contain her giggles at the murderous glare the blonde had earned. "If my summon doesn't appear next time I call because of that, I might have to actually kill that kid."

Noticing the conversation had gone full circle, Sakura stood to leave. "Well, I have some paperwork to do and then I'm crashing early for the Bell Test tomorrow." She pocketed the bells, and the boys instinctually followed the gentle jingling until they disappeared in her pouch. It was a big deal to all of them, and the noise was nostalgic. Kakashi had jingled like that often, whenever he did not bother to silence them. They would walk down dirt roads and jump through trees to the beat of his melodious chimes. It had always made her feel safe. Tomorrow, if her rambunctious team could pass, perhaps they would hold the same fond memories of her. "You guys are more than welcome to watch tomorrow morning."

"I'm not getting up that early," the whiskered ninja argued.

"My team has a mission tomorrow," was Sasuke's alibi.

She sighed and looked at her team with a pout. "We better still see each other."

"No worries Sakura-chan." Naruto stood to pat her shoulder reassuringly. "If this idiot's great-great-great-great grandfather's world war couldn't break us up, a couple of baby nins won't."

Sasuke made a show of gripping his katana for retaliation and Sakura shook her head, already walking away.

…

A/N: Serious lack of Kakashi. :[ I'll make up for it.

Thanks for reading/reviewing :]


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own anything Naruto.

…

Damn damn Damn damn Damn damn Damn Damn DAMN!

Sakura, disheveled and clearly irritated, bounded over the rooftops of Konoha. The civilians endured the tell-tale noisy hammering as part of daily living in a ninja village. There were pros and cons for living within a shinobi safe haven, such as secure neighborhoods and great weather, but there was also clumsy genin banging on your ceiling.

Of course, Sakura was not a genin. She was late, however, and forwent her usual chakra controlled silent footfalls to concentrate on piecing herself together in some semblance of a responsible, dedicated jonin.

DAMMIT!

A tangle caught in her hair as she attempted to smooth it down. The team's bento boxes strapped to her back clambered and clamored with every jump. Growling, she clumsily tried to tie her hi-taite for the third time, but her unzipped green vest obstructed her movement. The late morning sun had already heated the day to an uncomfortable swelter and a bead of sweat rolled into her eye. So, when she hopped on one foot to secure her sandal on the other, she did not see the electrical wire directly in her path.

Her leg caught on the cable, causing her body to jerk awkwardly and tumble forward. With a surprising amount of grace that she did not think herself capable of that morning, Sakura barely made it out of a flip to land shakily on her feet. Dizzy, she stood fully up and made a quick effort to orient her senses before rushing off, but an unexpected noise threw her off balance once again. Maybe she was still asleep and dreaming, because the tardy kunoichi swore a tall oak tree directly ahead was laughing at her.

Sakura looked up to find the amused party and, sure enough, high up in the shade of the billowing leaves, was Kakashi reclined comfortably on a heavy branch.

His deep and sardonic voice called down to her. "Did you get lost on the path of life, Sakura?"

Sulking, her shoulders slumped forward as the karma burned her ego. "Do you have any better lies than that? I need to have an actual reason."

With a muted thump, his book closed. "It is as good an excuse as any."

"I don't know." She swayed her pink bangs out of her eyes and smiled teasingly at the older jonin. "The lost cat one seemed less flaky."

His lanky limbs sagged as he leapt from the branch to land silently at her side. Somehow, even with his terrible posture, Kakashi always controlled his body with ease and Sakura briefly wondered how it was possible to make 'lazy' an art form. He sighed and feigned offense. "Was I flaky?"

The medical ninja pursed her lips and tapped her chin in thought. "Not flaky. Mmaybe... Maybe 'unenthused' is a better word."

His eyes smiled and hands went into his pockets. "Ah. That might be a fair judgment."

Feeling less frantic, Sakura laughed and cocked her head towards the training fields. "I do have to get running. I am really late and my team probably thinks I'm already bored with them."

She only got a step forward when Kakashi's tone delayed her. "I never thought you three were boring."

The gravel slid harshly underneath her sandals as she skidded to another stop. Her brow furrowed together and, curious about the brief unguarded guilt in his voice, Sakura glanced over her shoulder to her ex-teacher, who was looking towards the ground but staring off into space. "Kakashi-sensei," she began cautiously, "do you want to come and watch?"

Confusion replaced whatever was going through the silver-haired man's mind and his head rose up. "Watch what?"

"The Bell Test," she declared, and her chest swelled as she did. "That's what I'm late for."

Kakashi's unfocused eyes glazed over for a moment. The darkness of his life was well known around Konoha. Most, when they see the expression he wore now, believed he was trapped in a memory or being plagued by a demon from his past. Sakura knew better. When he finally blinked languidly and smiled once again, the kunoichi deduced that there was some responsibility he was avoiding, and her offer had successfully allowed him to escape it. "Lead the way," he tapped her nose as he passed towards the training ground, "Sakura-sensei."

She huffed, as if seriously assaulted, and rubbed her nose. "That's still weird."

"I'll stop when you stop."

She sighed, but Sakura's smile spread wider. "Fine. Do you want to race there, Kakashi?"

The glint of performing countless conniving and underhanded missions flashed in his eyes. "First one there gets to eat their lunches."

Before she could protest, he had already disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

.

Sakura attempted to reign in her frantic panting, but it was no use. Even after all her progress, Kakashi was much faster than her. In fact, when she appeared at the training ground, startling three already timid looking genins, the silver-hair bastard was leaning against one of the balancing posts and reading as if he had been there for ages.

"Show off," she grumbled.

"Slow poke," he retorted, then turned the page.

It was then that she noticed he was gleaming. "Why are you wet?"

The indolent air he gave off suddenly stormed over and he looked towards her young team. "History repeated itself."

Shou scoffed. "It was meant for Sakura-sensei."

"You pranked him!?"

"You were late!" the energetic boy explained. "And a jounin isn't supposed to fall for-" Suddenly, he recoiled when Kakashi's ruthless glare focused solely on him.

Sakura's shoulders sank. "I'm a jounin, too." But her personal dilemma had gone unnoticed.

The boys were still focused on the silver-haired masked man when Tarou finally spoke. "I think that's Copy Ninja Kakashi."

"WAIT!" Manami reveled herself from behind the bulky boy. "Is he what you meant by Survival Training!?"

"Well," Shou idiotically discerned. "He really isn't the Copy Nin anymore, though."

"Oi!" Sakura attempted to interject.

Tarou continued, "It's hard to believe he once had an eye scarier than the ones he has naturally."

The teacher's temple throbbed and Kakashi sighed. "They don't look like much of a challenge. Care to borrow my book, Sakura?"

He probably expected her to blush. She was quite proud of herself when she glared unamused at him instead. "We will be just fine, Kakashi."

With a gasp, and a slight hint of veneration, Tarou paled. "It IS him!?"

Shou seemed to be the only one who noticed the way his teacher's eyebrow twitched. "Maybe we should be more concerned with her, instead."

Manami gulped. "But, he said he hated us."

"Yeah," Sakura, suddenly exasperated, deadpanned as her irritation gave way to troubled acceptance, "He does that." Without ceremony, the medic roughly reached for her vest pocket. Judging from the team's reaction, they believed she was going to pull out a weapon. So, not one was able to keep their edgy confusion at bay when she revealed the small bells instead.

"Do you know what the fourth rule of being a shinobi is?" she asked her young genin.

The three sat in deep thought before Manami questioned, "Always pack extra underwear?"

"No!" she scolded while the others laughed. "It is to always put the mission first. Being a ninja is not for everybody. Only thirty percent of the genin that graduate can go on to become one. The rest are sent back."

"What!?" Shou exclaimed.

Manami, with her elbows wrapped tightly to steady her arms for when she threw weapons, stiffly pointed at the bells. "Do you mean…"

Sakura nodded sternly. "If you can take a bell from me, you pass."

The peace-keeper of the group was the first to determine the full extent of their dilemma. "But there are only two."

With a small toss, the chiming keepsakes were in the air for Sakura to snatch back quickly. "Right. That means at least one of you will be returning to the academy."

"WHAT!?" With every outspoken word, her new blonde teammate reminded her of the old one.

"And I must warn you now," the sensei threatened. "Unless you come at me with the intention to kill, you won't be able to retrieve a bell."

The genin froze as the implications weighed heavily upon them.

"This sucks," Manami indecently complained.

"Wait," Shou realized, finally able to express more than disbelief. "Why did you tell us not to eat breakfast?"

On cue, Tarou's stomach grumbled and a blush darkened his olive skin.

Sakura smiled wickedly. "Whoever can get a bell by noon can eat lunch. If you can't, however," she pointed to the balancing posts by the cenopath, "you will be tied up and forced to watch your teammates eat."

Manami's stomach now protested. "This REALLY sucks."

Ignoring the girl's resentment, Sakura steadied her stance and pulled out a timer from her back pouch. "You have until noon. On my mark. Ready?"

The blonde and his physical antithesis brandished a kunai, but Tarou braced himself to flee into the brush.

"Go!"

The children blurred in front of her to escape as the exercise began. Finally feeling in control of her day, Sakura sighed and rubbed the base of her neck. "Please tell me we weren't this bad?"

Her back was to him, but Kakashi knew she was paying attention. "I feel disinclined to answer that honestly."

"…You're not a nice man."

"I've never even been accused of such."

Emotionally drained, Sakura laughed half-heartedly and tied the bells to her belt. "How did you like my speech?"

"I feel like I have heard it before." Clearly unimpressed, the silver-haired man turned yet another page.

"You disapprove?"

"I just thought you would be more original."

"Says the Copy-Ninja," she mocked.

His form drooped. "Ex-Copy-Nin, apparently."

Sakura finally looked up to her long-time teammate in penitence. "Obviously it doesn't make you less formidable."

"Perhaps just less notable, then," he tonelessly remarked, but she was trained to see underneath the underneath.

Kakashi, who was truly grateful for Naruto's offering, tried to keep his misgivings out of his voice. He was fearsome in his own right, yes, but he had gone almost his entire life with Obito's gift. Sakura could tell he felt a piece of himself missing, even though, ironically, it was actually a piece of him returning.

"You don't like people paying attention to you anyways," she reasoned. It might have been a callous observation, but it was true.

There was a long pause, and Sakura was not sure how he would react, but the older jounin finally smiled, genuinely, before setting down his paperback. "Well put. You better prepare yourself. I think they are going to attack soon."

Sakura snorted. "Maybe I should borrow your book."

"Eh heh," he laughed nervously before he could stop himself. "Being an outside observer, I now can see how that might be inappropriate."

"I will just have to pull out my own copy, then," she teased, lifting an eyebrow and patting the pack strapped to her left.

The color drained from his face. "…What?"

"You're a bad influence, Kaka-sensei."

Just then, Tarou attacked from her right, so Sakura had no time to increase her ex-sensei's discomfort for her own amusement. Yes, she had reading material on her. No, it wasn't a Jiraiya masterpiece, but a medical text on advanced poisons.

Yet the twisted Hatake didn't need to know that.

Sakura leapt in the air as Tarou's thick leg swung to meet her own. His arms crossed to guard his face as she came down with a weak punch, but he still tumbled a great length in the dirt after the hit. It only took one blow for him to realize he needed to stay far away from her arm's reach, so he reached for his shuriken instead. Once Sakura caught the flying stars out of mid air and spun them around her fingers she saw his dark skin pale before he disappeared once more.

"GAAAHHHH!"

The female jounin did not hold back her yawn as she rose an arm up and grabbed Shou's determined, and feeble, punch. The ease of her defense did not deter him, however. The blonde clumsily displayed the most basic formations that they learned at the academy as he attacked his teacher, but wound up hurting himself more than Sakura's deflections could.

"Ninja skill number one," she established haughtily once Shou's arms were pinned behind him. "Taijutsu."

Manami barreled out from the bushes and got in between the boy and their teacher. "Out of the way, Baka!"

The steel-haired tomboy forewent her special kunai to ready a standard issue one in its place. Sakura had little time to consider why before the girl blurred and appeared on her right, bringing the short blade toward her hip. Using her exquisite chakra control, their sensei flipped, bringing Shou arms to his front, and pushed the boy to collide with her attacker.

The pair had the air knocked from their lungs, but Manami was the first to find it again and growled, "Get OFF me, you annoying half-wit!" With a hearty shove, Shou fell backwards and she lifted herself up. "I'm not going back to the academy because of a wannabe ninja like you."

After pushing himself to his feet, Shou seethed and spit out the dirt in his mouth dangerously close to his teammate's foot. "You'll have to beat me to the bells in the first place."

Sakura wanted to admonish the two, but that would go against the point of the exercise. They had to show that they had the spirit of teamwork within them naturally. The pride of being trusted with the bells faded as she thought that, perhaps, she would have to fail this team.

Gritting her teeth, Manami brought her face an inch away from her blonde rival's. "As if a BAKA like you could even see the bells."

Tarou appeared between his two quarrelling teammates. "Would you two stop, already? I don't know whether to let you kill each other or get you a private room."

Thoroughly horrified, Shou's mouth dropped open. Manami, red-faced, chose to storm on Sakura again. A swift fist launched for her ribs. The girl's body contorted in lithe movements as she kicked and punched, but all she met was air. Her method was fluid, which clashed with the teacher's abrasive head-on style, yet the genin was already tiring and the jounin used her forceful attack to crack the ground under her feet before the difference in technique could catch the medic off guard.

The ice-eyed girl gasped as the ground crumbled beneath her, but was saved from being buried alive when Tarou jumped in and threw her into the tree line. On a jagged edge of Sakura's latest terrain modification, the tall, perverted boy curved his thin lips into a half-smile, revealing the gap from his missing tooth, and readied to attack.

Sakura knuckles cracked when she tightened her gloves.

One day he would tower over her, but now, even big for his age, the genin only came to her shoulders. If she had to classify his method, it would be a cross between street brawling and school yard scuffle. She was almost embarrassed how effective it was proving to be. The boy had clearly studied the hardest while at the academy and trained the most. He lacked the unexpressive eyes and quick responses of a child born into a ninja family, but his enthusiasm was genuine. This was a kid who had wanted to become a ninja. With every deflected punch and dodged kick, Sakura understood him more and more.

During their short fight, she was reminded of her own determination at his age when she had joined the academy.

He was finally kicked down and collided with a protesting Shou. "Ugh! What good is grabbing some stupid bells for our ninja skills?"

The older ninja stood straight and answered seriously, "Rule number three: A shinobi must never question their commander."

"Hyoton!" A high voice shouted from the tree tops behind her. "Kōri no Senbon!"

"Eh!?" Sakura indelicately questioned aloud, and was shocked to see her breath mist. Manami charged from the leaves, an arrogant smirk stretching across her pale face, and directed a storm of ice needles at her pink-haired target. Surprised, the jounin women took one step back, but quickly recovered her ground and sealed a counter move.

"Doton: Doryouheki!"

The thick earth wall thundered from the shattered ground. Shou and Tarou fell from the rumbling caused, and Manami could not evade in time. The chiming of shattering glass rang out in the training field as the ice weapons hit with the wall, followed quickly by the loud thump, and colorful curse, as the tomboy hit as well.

The teacher was impressed that one of her students already had the capability to mold chakra for jutsu use, especially ones as rare as ice. However, she kept all esteem out of her demeanor. Casually, Sakura announced, "Ninja skill number two; Ninjutsu," while wiping the dust off her medic skirt. The boys escaped back into the foliage before she reared back her fist, punched through the mud barrier, and pulled a stunned Manami through to her side. "But it seems you have already learned a thing or two."

The girl sneered and fought against her sensei's hold, kicking the air fruitlessly. "Not enough, apparently."

"Don't worry." Sakura flashed her a cheerful smile. "It's nothing another round at the academy can't help you with."

The sound of the girl's teeth grinding together grated in the medic's ears, but she had no time to scold her on proper dental care. Manami attempted to knee her side and reached towards the bells with a tightly wrapped hand. Clicking her tongue, Sakura waved a finger in her face, smiled again, and tossed her over her shoulder. The screams echoed in the clearing from the flying girl until she landed harshly back by the cenotaph.

Sighing, Sakura dusted her hands off and turned to detect her outmatched genin students. Although it wasn't much, there was more to each of them then what she was expecting. The most important aspect, however, was still missing between the three. She whispered to herself, "I underestimated Kakashi-sensei's patience," before taking to the tree line.

Across the clearing, Shou and Tarou collapsed behind a bush, panting and swearing their misgivings about the survival training.

"Did you see what she did to the ground?" The blonde's voice cracked as he strained for breath. "The woman's fist causes freaking earthquakes!"

"Her taijutsu is really fast too." The darker boy solemnly observed while he rubbed a sore spot on his shoulder. "And brutal."

"I guess this is what a jounin is."

"I have a feeling we haven't even seen her full potential." Tarou strained to look over the bush, hoping to catch sight of their sensei.

Vexed, Shou threw his hands up. "Then how are we supposed to get the bells!?"

The inky-haired genin paused before slowing turning his attention back to the exuberant teammate. "You want us to get them, and forget about Manami?"

The other boy sulked. "She isn't really including us, is she?"

"She doesn't really include anyone," the larger one reasoned.

The guilt of abandoning their female partner began to weigh on his bright mood. "…She did save me back there, though."

"Yeah," Tarou agreed, once again taking it upon himself to act as look-out. "She really didn't have to give her position away."

"I still don't like her."

Tarou scowled. "I'm not sure I like you."

"Fine!" the shorter ninja yelled. "Get a damn bell on your own, you tank!" He stood up to storm off, but a weak cry diverted their attention.

"Ta-Tarou-chan... Shou…" a feeble voice pleaded. "Help me…"

Both boys turned towards the tormented girl and froze. Manami, beaten, bloody, and broken, crawled weakly their way. "Help… She is serious." She coughed, and crimson blood splattered to the ground. "Sakura-sensei is going to kill us."

The large, black-haired boy tried to stand, but his knees gave out on him and he fell backward into the bush. His lower jaw shook as he fought to find the words to convey his fear. "Holy shi-"

"Heh," Shou scoffed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Serves her right."

Tarou's mouth dropped with the blonde boy's blatant disregard to Manami's condition. He knew they did not like each other, but he never expected him to be so cold-hearted…

Then, the energetic genin rolled his eyes and said, "If only…" Quickly, he brought his hands together, molded his chakra, and yelled, "Ninja skill number three, right Sensei!?

"KAI!"

Kakashi, still resting on his branch above the cenotaph, was genuinely impressed as the illusion released. Sakura was one of the most developed genjutsu users since Kurami, yet even she did not notice them right out of the academy. The kid was spastic, but this could possibly be a sign of potential. Perhaps her team was not a total loss.

Immediately, his short-lived praise was deflated as a flash of gray and silver caught his eyes. Manami, dizzy from the impact but recovering quickly, rushed from tree to tree as she slowly made her way towards the Memorial Stone… and the bento Sakura had brought for the victors. The man sighed. It wasn't his job to intervene. In fact, it was probably a bad idea. However, Sakura was at the other edge of the training field, and memories of catching Naruto in the same position sent a pleasurable wave of nostalgia through him.

It had been damn funny to tie that brat to the post so many years ago.

The strap of her over-sized tunic fell off one shoulder as Manami appeared in front of the cold lunches. Her stomach growled and her smile widened once she sat down to enjoy a quick snack while the others were keeping Sakura-sensei busy. "Keh," she rationalized with herself. "Ninjas need to be sneaky, right?"

Suddenly, a small pop and hazy cloud materialized above her before the chopsticks could reach her lips. "Yo," Kakashi joyfully addressed from his perch on top of the monument.

Her shoulders jumped, but by the time she turned towards the elder ninja she was seething.

"You know," he playfully bated, "for a natural ice-user, you are rather hot-headed."

Manami scoffed dismissively. "Is being lame an old people thing, or something? My grandpa used to make the same joke."

The threat in Kakashi dark eyes made the girl drop her stolen bento.

A small gust of wind blew across the now sweltering field as the noon sun beat relentlessly down on the exposed area. Any animal that wasn't scared off by the sparring were now startled away as Sakura's timer went off, signaling the end of the Bell Test.

The two boys struggled fruitlessly in her grip as Sakura brought them back to the posts with a smile on her face. Shou might have seen through her genjutsu rather quickly, but they were still no match for her man-handling. Once she was in front of the posts, she dropped the grimy, beaten boys down to the ground. They groaned once they hit and she sighed as she stripped off her gloves. "Now, where is the third…"

Kakashi then stepped out from behind the Memorial Stone holding a fuming Manami by her belt, completely undisturbed by her struggles and said, "I caught one trying to eat my lunch."

Sakura joked back, even though she sensed the fear her squad emitted at their combined presence. "Oh? And what punishment do you recommend?"

"1000 Years of Pain?" he suggested. The exposed part of his face crinkled in a sadistic smile before turning back to the quivering genin in his grip. "I would be very afraid. She is a medical professional, after all, and this technique is rather invasive."

Her silver eyes bulged as her imagination ran wild until Shou stepped forward, his knees shaking with the excess adrenaline brought on by his fear. "Let go of Manami."

Sakura and Kakashi looked at the steadfast blonde in bewilderment. His dislike for the girl was obvious, but now he stood by his comrade in defense.

"You idiot!" she berated and swung at Kakashi. "Get the bells!"

Tarou scoffed from the dusty ground before standing up, imposing over the other boy's form. "Do you really think we will let you sacrifice yourself so we can get them?"

She growled in Kakashi's steady gripped. "Like I would do that for you two idiots."

Shou shook his head, but a grin and kunai rose simultaneously. "What good are the bells if you are in danger?"

As the genin boys readied to attack the opposing jounin, Sakura glimpsed at her ex-sensei. The reach of his arm extended fully outward, and he either casually avoided or easily deflected the random strikes the pale girl tried to deliver, but his attention was mostly focused on the other two, who were banding together for the sake of their teammate.

The cold kunoichi, however, did not perceive the sentiment. "We are supposed to be in danger, baka!"

"Heh," Tarou smirked, whistled through to small gap in his teeth, and readied his stance to attack Kakashi. "There's no point in grabbing a bell if you go back to the academy."

Manami balked.

"You saved me back there," Shou squared his shoulders and faced the pink-haired nin. "Now it's my turn."

The boys' eyes focused on each target and, as Manami gasped, they charged. With the desire to protect her, their movements were faster. Sakura still easily countered each basic move Shou delivered, but his heart was in every attack in a way that wasn't prevalent before. The olive-skinned genin came down upon Kakashi brutally, somehow mixing his singular harsh style with hero worship as he swung and receded whenever the man would push back. Within her mind, the kunoichi recited the rules she was supposed to instill in her charges. "Rule 15. A shinobi must see the underneath under the underneath…"

She had grown quickly from the studious bookworm that knew nothing of conflict to a caring member of a team. Knowledge was important, but so was experience, and looking upon the exhausted genin, Sakura made her decision.

Following a nod in her old teammate's direction, the next attack held little back and both boys were hurled to the ground, grunting in pain and the struggle to gain their breath. Without regard, Kakashi tossed Manami into her beaten comrades and they fell backwards yet again to the dirt. Sakura stood above them, hands on her hips, with a menacing frown that wrinkled the diamond gracing forehead. The pink-sensei let the weight of their failure darken her voice. "You three…" Their shoulders hunched as they cowered, dreading her next words.

Kakashi groaned once her head tilted to the side and expression brightened. "… Passed!"

Their emotions were still playing catch up when Sakura continued. "Congratulations; you are now officially ninja."

Shou was the first to shout. Their fears abated, the others quickly joined in the celebrating and ignored the older shinobi. Kakashi, shaking his head at their familiar antics, walked up to Sakura. "You held back."

"You're one to talk."

His brow rose, puzzled.

Knowingly, she grinned. "You might have gotten wet, but your book was dry."

He returned her expression with approval. "You are good at seeing underneath the underneath."

"Well," the medic turned towards the exit and paused to rest a hand on the tall man's shoulder. "I had a decent teacher."

Grinning, he followed Sakura out of the training field. "Decent? I was terrible."

The young kunoichi's laugh echoed in the cenotaph clearing along with her newly approved team's joviality.

…

Thanks for reading/reviewing. :]

*SPOILER ALERT*

A/N: I love this chapter, and I will tell you why: I HATE that Kakashi lost his Sharingan. Hate it. HATE. IT. So, this chapter is somewhat therapeutic. Cathartic, even.

Still… Not only are eye transplants an easy maneuver now, but regrowing eyes is as simple as, "Look at me, I'm the Kyuubi/Reincarnation of the Six Path's Son/Such a Mary Sue I might as well be on Uchiha's nuts because emo Sasuke is the perfect manmeat for all my awesomeness." *rant*

…I'm not bitter, really.

Also, keep writing that NaruSasu… I love it.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own anything Naruto.

…

"OI!" the loud, rough voice called out over the bustling crowd of early morning shoppers. "KAKA-SENSEI!"

The older jounin sighed, not bothering to look up from the worn pages of his book. Continuing his pace, Kakashi fought the urge to disappear into the crowd and allowed Naruto to flash at his side. The powerful young man bright smile beamed with the already hot sun and his hands entwined to rest on the top of his head as he fell into step with his old teacher.

"Naruto," he addressed with a small grin, but his attention never strayed from the book that blocked his line of sight. It used to intrigue the young genin that he had never tripped on anything, then annoyed them, but now they barely noticed it. "You are up rather early. I don't think the ramen stand is even open."

The future hokage scoffed, not recognizing Kakashi's sarcasm. "Tell me about it. Maybe when I have more pull around here I can talk them into a breakfast menu."

"Your abundant business should be influence enough."

His whiskered face twisted in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." Kakashi smiled again.

Side-stepping a rowdy child running past, Naruto's attention was brought back to the true subject. "Oh, you haven't seen three little hellions around here, have you?"

His silver brows rose as he turned the page. "Your team, I take it?"

"Yeah," he all but growled in response. "I know we weren't this awful for you."

Jokingly, the taller man cleared his throat. "You say that like you three still don't give me endless grief."

"Oi! You like having us around."

"Which, apparently, you can't say the same for your team."

The young man groaned, which was easier to hear as they left the marketplace to venture through the narrow alleyways of the Hidden Leaf. "Was teaching this difficult for you?"

His answering shrug lifted the weighted jounin vest in his reply. "They say the only true measure of your performance as a teacher is how well your students do in the same role."

"But Sasuke threatened to kill them and I was late for our first arranged meeting… Oh…" Clarity struck Naruto. "Maybe they are right."

Unamused, he glowered into the pages. "Perhaps the quality of the students should be taken into greater consideration."

"In that case," the blonde jounin sulked, "I'm doomed. At least Sasuke got Hinata-chan's sister."

To this, Kakashi's dark eyes finally lifted from the printed words to glance towards the other nin. He remembered being assigned Sasuke because of the optical power they shared. Perhaps Tsunade was thinking along the same lines when she gave the Uchiha a Hyuuga prodigy. Regardless, this was probably not going over well at the girl's compound, since their negative stance on Sasuke's reintegration into Konoha was well known.

"Sakura showed us the bells," Naruto suddenly said seriously.

The book snapped closed and found its place in the silver-haired man's pouch. He waited for the shinobi to continue his thought, but the next few paces remained quiet between them.

And then, he smiled so wide dimples formed between his whiskered markings. "She is going to be a great teacher."

Kakashi grinned back. "She already performed the Bell Test."

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "That was yesterday, huh? Did you go watch?"

With a nod, he shoved his calloused hands deep into his pockets and lamented the sticky heat of the abnormally warm summer.

"Aaannnnd?" the vibrant man bated, and Kakashi could still see the twelve-year old boy in his eyes.

"Sakura passed them. That is what matters," he answered simply, earning a frown from Naruto.

"But, what are they like? I hear," his large hands fidgeted. "I hear that they cause a lot of trouble."

The Hokage Tower only stood a few meters away and he could tell from the chakra signatures inside that Sakura was among those receiving missions for the day. Her last D-Rank assignment was probably his last one as well when they were children, though he could not remember what is was. She was going to hate it, but all her other skills aside, she was a master of perseverance. The corner of his mouth curled without him knowing exactly why when he brought his attention back to Naruto and thought about all she had to cope with in her younger years because of her teammates. "I am pretty sure it is not anything she cannot handle."

.

Sakura bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, anxious for her team's first assignment, and slightly impatient with her shishou's unorganized delay. Tsunade lifted a pile of papers and swore under her breath as she searched for the mission scroll to be delegated out to the younger medic's genin. The open windows allowed whatever air could drift in, but the heat wave stifled even the strongest breezes and the effect agitated the already unstable leader.

"SHIZUNE!" the Slug Princess screamed, and all three children jumped at the strength of her voice. "Why is nothing ever where I put it!?"

"That's the problem, Tsunade-sama," her lifelong retainer and friend countered as she resumed the search. "Everything is exactly where you leave it."

The blonde's red lips pursed. "Perhaps I just need better help around here."

Shizine rolled her eyes, Manami chuckled, and Sakura gave the young girl a none-to-gentle pop to the back of her head.

Finally, the thin scroll was found and Tsunade relayed the team's mission; D-Rank, within Konoha's limits, and outside. The gardening they were tasked for the afternoon was highly anti-climatic, but, remembering how sharp Fire Nation cats' claws could get, Sakura was grateful at least it was animal-free.

"Alright," the Hokage finished while wiping sweat from her forehead. "Are there any questions?"

"Yeah," Manami began, and Sakura felt her limbs go numb. She had ordered them not to say anything. "Why do you have Sakura-sensei's forehead diamond thing?"

The master medic's irked expression wrinkled her brow. "I don't. She has mine."

Tarou questioned, "What does it do?"

"It stores up chakra in the guise of a henge." Her polished blonde eyebrow twitched as she casted a bothered look towards her old student, who felt the situation quickly spiraling out of control.

"Oh," Tarou figured. "So you don't really look like that."

"What's different?" Shou finally spoke.

"I bet she isn't a blond," Manami criticized, crossing her arms.

Sakura heard the familiar sound of a sake dish crumble in her shishou's hand.

The genin, however, were not conditioned for this noise, and Tarou continued to assess the henge's use. "It has to be an age thing."

Shou chuckled and jabbed an elbow in the perverted teammate's rib. "No, it's got to be the boobs, huh?"

A vein began to pulse in the Hokage's temple and she stood up, gritting her teeth, when the oblivious icy girl scoffed. "Of course not, Baka. If that were the case, then Sakura-sensei would have some too."

Shizune instinctively backed herself into a quiet corner as both ferociously strong, and famously short-tempered, medics glowered at the young team.

Immediately after saying his farewell to Naruto, Kakashi felt a spike of familiar chakra from the building behind him and, when the following crash echoed out the Hokage's open windows, he quickly retreated hiding deeper into his book. He was not sure what had caused the outburst, but the man knew he did not want to be involved in any way.

.

Sakura slumped in the hard chair at her old team's favored bar and the grime from her day remained caked in random patches over her normally immaculate uniform. Her knees were dirty, which was normal for any farming mission, but the smudged circles at her temples from massaging away several headaches was not. The owner knew his patrons well and set down an unrequested, but welcomed, second carafe of sake right when the first was finished greedily.

"Rough day, Sakura-sensei?"

She scowled Kakashi's way, but didn't have the energy tease back. "This must have been absolute torture for you."

"Oh?" He leaned deep into the bar's seat, crossing his arms and feigning interested in the selection lining the wall.

"If I get this annoyed at having to do D-Rank missions, then you must have wanted to pull out your hair."

He laughed, and the deep timbre of his amusement lolled her temper, slightly. "Well, you are a much better teacher than me."

Exasperated all over again, she rolled her eyes. "You know, Kakashi, the only person who thought you were a bad sensei was you."

His face remained forward, but eyes darted her way. They remained silent, staring at the other companionably, until Sakura snorted and took another sip of sake. Wordlessly, she offered him a drink by lifting the small jug his way. Once he gave her a nonchalant nod in response, Sakura leaned over the bar to grab a second cup and poured out a healthy helping for both of them.

She went back to her own glass and looked into space, her eyes glazing over as she thought about her team and the disaster that was their first mission. The silence was broken as she began ranting to her silent drinking partner. They did not cooperate with each other. Manami and Shou purposefully fought. Tarou bullied the client's child. They were all restless with the easy mission, but inexperienced for anything more, and barely even completed it. Sakura groaned after several minutes and hung her head, only then realizing Kakashi had not responded in any way. Curious, she turned back towards him. His sake was still untouched and he was regarding her with a narrowed, curious gaze.

She swallowed more of the dry, sweet liquid. "What?"

"I thought you were offering a drink to try to see under my mask."

Her green eyes widened and they once again stared at the other. Then, she smiled. And her lips began to quiver. And the next moment, she could not stop laughing. His shoulders hung low as hers shook. The crestfallen expression in his uncovered eyes furrowed his brow with the unrelenting, and accusatory, glare.

"I'm sorry!" She tried to explain between giggles, waving her hands in the air. "No, I'm sorry," but she laughed again and he was clearly starting to get angry. "It's just, I haven't thought about that in such a long time."

"This game is no fun if you three aren't interested."

Sakura took in a deep breath to catch hers. "We know a lost cause when we see one."

"I'm a lost cause, now?"

"We are convinced your face is just a mask, some ninja henge technique gone wrong."

"There was once a time you respected me."

"Well, Kaka-sens- ur – Kakashi, if it will make you feel better, maybe after a couple more pours I can get underneath your underne- …oh…"

He leaned forward. The girl's flirting technique gone wrong shocked away any irritation he was feeling and he grinned at her blush. She turned away, deeply embarrassed, and the heat in her cheeks began to rise to anger when the laid-back man started laughing. Suddenly very annoyed, Sakura shot a deadly look his way to notice that his sake was gone and he was looking rather pleased with himself.

Her anger quelled and she sighed instead. She didn't know when their friendship took on the flirting quality, but the innocent fun made him seem more accessible her feel more mature. They were always friends, but now she felt more on his level personally.

"Another?" she asked with a coy tilt to her voice.

Kakashi crinkled his exposed eyes in an innocent smile. "Please."

…

Thanks for reading/reviewing! :]


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own anything Naruto.

…

"Sakura-sensei! What are we doing wrong?"

The aggravated woman sighed and rubbed her temple, lamenting the sticky feel of her skin as sweat continued to bead off her forehead. Chakra control was difficult to master whether it came naturally or after years of practice, and only very few had Sakura's affinity. Still, continually encouraging her three genin as they repeatedly failed to run up the side of the tree was extremely frustrating.

Demonstrating the second-nature skill, Sakura stood on the thick trunk and looked down, thankful her bothered expression was hidden behind her short curtain of pink hair. It had been easier to teach them taijutsu and evasive skills, but when it came to coaching in what had come naturally to her, she did not know how to go about it. Chakra control was always something she could just do and, until medical jutsu, never had to work hard to excel. She did not know any short cuts or revelations only gained after strenuous perseverance and therefore couldn't relay any tips to them now.

"Are you sensing the flow of chakra?" she tried again. "Can you feel it gather in your feet?"

Manami dusted off her baggy shorts and Tarou grunted between heavy breaths. The increased humidity from a teasing storm had added insult to injury to the current heat wave, and the whole village was ready to break if the weather didn't. Tensions were high, a farming drought was on the horizon, and Tsunade had switched from sake to water. Shou peered up towards his sensei. "I can feel that I'm gonna pass out."

Her shoulders sagged, which was a relief under the weighted jounin vest. "It is about channeling," she attempted to explain for the fifteenth time that day. "Manipulating your environment is crucial for any ninja, of any talent or skill. The fewer limitations you have the better warrior you will become."

The sharpened canines of the ice-natured student gleamed as her scowl deepened. "Couldn't we have started with water?"

"Not everyone is as frigid as you, Tsunami," Shou immediately retorted.

"At least I can walk up the tree a bit, Baka," she scowled.

The blonde boy went to raise his fist, but Tarou, hunched over and struggling to breathe, managed to grab his elbow and push him back. "Seriously. You two. Stop."

Sakura's hand left her temple to fiddle with the strap on her weapon pouch. "Chakra perception is important not only for yourself, but for awareness of fluctuations around you. For instance…"

The kunai's sharp edge she unsheathed reflected the harsh sun and gave the impression of a fluttering fairy with the fluidity of the medic's motions. In one second, the blade was gripped in her small hand. The next, as Team Sakura froze from their growing apprehension, she had flung it deftly behind her, not even bothering to look at the target they had failed to notice. The sound of ripping leaves was barely heard over the clamor of cicadas, but the unmistakable whoosh as it was snatched from the air shocked all three. When Kakashi appeared from the blanket of leaves, twirling their sensei's kunai around a thick, calloused finger, they fell backwards into the dirt.

"Yo!" he cheerfully called out and stepped into the light.

Sakura rolled her eyes, finally looking behind her. "You're going to give them a complex."

"I think of their fear as a healthy display of respect." The silver-haired ninja continued to easily walk down the length of the trunk towards Sakura and threw the weapon her way. "You know, friends throw shuriken."

She caught it easily, and spun it on her finger in the same fashion to mock him. "Yeah, but real friends don't hold back."

His eyes creased. "Looks like I taught you a little something, after all."

Feeling calmer, she turned back to her team for a moment, commanding them to keep practicing their chakra control, before fully facing Kakashi and holstering her blade. His pale hair burned in silver flames where beams of light filtered through the leaves, but for the most part he appeared unaffected by the heat. He even wore his long-sleeve jounin sweater. Suddenly, Sakura became very aware of how her tunic was clinging to every sweat-soaked spot speckling her body.

"Why are you wearing so many clothes right now?"

His brows disappeared under his hitai-ate. "What?"

"It is boiling out here," she whined and pulled at her tunic for a small amount of air flow. "You are making me hotter than I already am."

He stiffened and blinked once. Then twice. Finally, as if he just became aware of the heat, a blush stained the small amount of cheek above his mask. "What!?"

"Ugh," she groaned and reached out. Her finger passed the neck guard of his vest and pushed into the pulse point on his neck. "What is the matter? Do you have heat stroke already?" Her head steadily bobbed while she tracked his heartbeat and searched his system for signs of dehydration.

Kakashi froze at her touch, but recovered quickly and gently grabbed her wrist. "I'm fine." He guided her hand away from him, and then promptly stuffed his own deep within his pockets. "Just distracted, is all."

"That is not like you." Sakura crooked her jaw and gave him a visual once-over just to ensure he was truly okay. Partially satisfied, she acquiesced with a roll of her eyes. "What brings you out here, Kakashi?"

He looked quizzically at her for a few moments before silently offering her a thickly bound scroll. Confusion marred the delicate features of her face until she was able to read the contents. It was a B-ranked mission, out of Fire Country, and unusual for a team without a single chuunin. Apprehension gripped her heart and her strong hands wrinkled the parchment as she continued to read the details.

He must have noticed the pink tint in her over-heated skin pale. "If you passed them," he reasoned, "then they should be able to handle this type of mission."

Her green eyes rose from the scroll and caught his. Although his expression remained passive, Sakura began to wonder if he had felt this same fear for them years ago after being assigned to protect a bridge in a small, broke village. He had always worried for their well-being, but did he fear for them? Was she not putting enough faith in the skills of her genin? In the past, did he ask for too much, or was she expecting too little now?

Kakashi smiled, but she looked away towards the training children. They were an odd group. Each had strengths that seemed to conflict with the others, but they would now have to work as a team to complete a true, higher ranked mission.

Breathing heavily, Shou shouted as he sprinted towards the tree again. Sakura could sense his over-molded chakra, so was not surprised when he was blasted violently from the trunk with a small explosion of splinters. The other two had fallen down laughing from the display.

"Were we really that young once?" she asked, transfixed by the childhood innocence her role as sensei would help slowly chip away.

Kakashi's shoulders sank and he reached out to ruffle her hair. "You are making me feel old."

She laughed and ignored the way her scalp tingled once his hand slipped away. "It's odd to receive missions this way. Why did you deliver it?"

The older jounin considered her for a moment, watching the questions dance in her eyes, before he revealed his other hand that gripped a significantly smaller scroll. Its red leather bindings and black wax seal constricted Sakura's chest. The foreboding scroll was well known to her from the time spent in the hokage's office. It was an assassination mission of the highest rank, with the deadliest connotations and lowest survival rates. Her attention lifted from the loose grip his large hand held on the damnable thing to catch his dark eyes in the need to convey her unease.

Kakashi smiled once again, and she recognized it as the one he hid behind. "It was on my way out of town," he said casually, as if he did these sorts of missions every week.

For all Sakura knew, he did.

Telling him to be careful would be idiotic, since this mission was as dangerous as they got. Also, to ask him to get home safe would never work, because when did he ever do that anyway? She held his gaze, not willing to let go until he acknowledge her anxiety.

Finally, his grin loosened.

"Kaka-sensei," Sakura began, and bent closer towards him. His expression widened and he forced a shallow breath, but did not move away as her low voice whispered towards him. "Next time, you are picking up the sake tab."

He gawked for a moment, caught off guard by her demand. "…What?"

She leaned back and crossed her arms, feigning exasperation. "I am stuck with D-Rank assignments for weeks, and you are getting paid for THAT this whole time?" She turned her nose in the air and forced a laugh that held back her concern. "It is not decent to make a friend pay the tab when you make more than them."

Her playful petulance broke the grim tension and he chuckled, sliding his scroll back into its hiding place and out of sight. "Fair enough." She glowered when his hand ruffled her hair again as he walked by down the tree. "Enjoy training, Saku-sensei."

"Ugh!" she moaned, turned towards his retreating back, and cracked the dry bark with a chakra-fueled stomp for good measure. "That's even worse! I am never calling you 'sensei' again."

His only response was a nonchalant wave from over his shoulder. The children parted quickly once he reached the ground and strolled casually by, but they continued to stare at the imposing ninja until he disappeared in the tree line. Shaking her head, Sakura tried to summon the confidence needed to lead them in this new mission on her own. He was right not to say anything more than to offer his trust in her decision, but the medic had learned long ago that your team is only as strong as the amount of strength you offer it.

"Alright," she commanded down at her team. "I will treat the first one of you that can reach me to dinner. Ready?"

With their attentions back to her, they squared their shoulders and attempted to channel the developing chakra, and she could sense the small progress she was unable to see only moments ago.

Genuinely, she smiled. "Go!"

.

Sakura drug her feet as she entered her apartment. The small pouch she had set on the console table immediately slid off, but she could not muster up the energy to care. Today had been… tiring, frustrating, and challenging, all in ways she never considered would be a factor. The three genin were unique, yet average ninjas. She was used to extraordinary ones. It was unfair to set such standards for them, but, as with chakra control, she did not know of any other way. She felt silly for always feeling so far behind Naruto and Sasuke when in actuality she had been far ahead of most in her generation.

It was not as if they were lacking, or incompetent. For most genin, chakra control took weeks of practice just to gain the ability of stabilizing on solid ground. If her team really pushed themselves, perhaps they could attempt water-walking next week. However, there was a mission to attend to before then. Sakura groaned as her tight, weary body sank into her second-hand futon and blindly unbuckled a pouch on her vest. The mission scroll slipped out into her hand, but she continued to stare at her dark ceiling. They were average genin. Their skills were interesting, but not truly note-worthy, and teamwork was their weakest trait. What about her team warranted being assigned such a mission so soon?

Sakura sighed and halfheartedly skimmed through the scroll's details once again. As much as she tried to put it off, she would have to go through their personal files after all.

It was not just Naruto unexpected progress during their younger years that had made her reticent to read them, but Sasuke's anticipated potential. Pressure was a killer, and no amount of heritage could tell you what kind of person you will become. She did not want to judge based on the past, because the ones she considered closest to her heart had the darkest histories. The jounin teacher tried to tell herself that no matter what information was discovered she would not let it affect her judgment, as she did not want what happened to her boys to happen to anyone else.

Luckily, the stacked files were gathering dust on the desk to the right of the futon, so she did not had to move much to obtain them. With a skillfully ricocheted soldier pill, the overhead light was switched on and she squinted in the sudden, artificial light. The file on top was Tarou's and her hand hesitated only a second longer before she flipped the manila folder open.

His official ninja registration picture perfectly portrayed the pervy boy. The black, calculating eyes gleamed with a sense of mischief and his half smile proudly exposed the gap from the missing tooth. His long, raven hair was neatly pulled back into a low ponytail and the hitate-tae's unmarred surface caught the flash of the camera. Even through the photograph, Sakura felt like he was sizing her up…

Or checking her out.

She shook her head and continued onto the information.

Hayashi Tarou. Twelve years old and started the academy a few years late. He had to study extra to catch up to his age class. There were no known shinobi affiliations or family listed and she quickly found out why. His residence was an area Sakura was familiar with by reputation only. It was a dangerous part of Konoha she had been told to never venture towards when she was a child.

Even a ninja village has a dark underbelly, and Tarou grew up at its epicenter. At once, his natural ability to quickly access an opponent and uncanny aptitude for stealth made sense. He had not just received training at the academy for such skills, but had lived with it his entire life.

The next bit of information made Sakura double-take. He was sponsored by the Akimichi clan. The academy's tuition, his weapons, extra tutors, even specialty gear upon request was to be handled financially by Choji's family. She scoured through the rest of the papers for answers, but, other than noting that there was no blood relation between them, the reason for their generosity and how he had earned such an honor was kept off the record.

The medic sighed. Reading the files was supposed to answer concerns about her students, not conjure up more questions. The olive-skinned boy's folder slapped harshly on her coffee table as her natural curiosity fueled her irritation.

Next, and thickest, in the stack was Shou's and the escaping blue slips of papers that made her groan. They were records of disciplinary actions taken and judging by the awkward bulging of the file, the blonde racked up quite a few demerits while in school. She was already wincing as the dossier wafted open.

Suzuki Shou. Twelve years old. He was the son of Suzuki Koba; a chuunin who died while on an unsuccessful mission seven years ago. Her brows knitted together while she read over the details. He had been the team leader and sacrificed himself to allow the rest of the team to escape. Usually, such an act was viewed as heroic, but the other nins never made it home, so instead it had been lost within the dark, daily tally of gains and losses. Tragedy like this normally darkened a ninja, yet Shou always shone so bright. His perseverance never escaped her notice, and his honest desire to become a ninja was untainted. Reading further, Sakura also came across his mother's ninja affiliation. She was listed as a non-practicing shinobi, which was not uncommon for females to quit the profession once they got married and had children, but her inactive date had closely followed the death of her husband. Sakura could not even entertain the thought of leaving everything about her kunoichi self behind, although could not imagine the amount of pain the woman endured that led her to making such a decision. Shou had enrolled himself in the academy as soon as he was able to, but a side-note in the file stated he was not accepted into the classes until his mother signed off a year later.

It had to be a painful part of his past, but he never let it show. Unexpectedly, she appreciated his loud mouth and exuberance almost as much as she had grown to respect Naruto's. He was talented in genjutsu, yet optimism appeared to be his greatest strength.

Next was Manami's, and the sheer lack of material gave her the most shock of all. Other than a list of demerits that rivaled Shou's, and upon closer inspection Sakura noticed most of those involved fights between the two of them, the girl had only her official photo and a half-completed basic information sheet within.

But what she could glean from it was that Manani's tuition, housing, and everything was sponsored by the village…

Just as Naruto's had been…

She collapsed completely into the worn cushions. They were unique, alright, but not in any way she could have imagined. Tarou was more responsible than most children from his upbringing, Shou was amazingly hopeful for someone who had experienced the lost he had, and the straight-forward Manami was a complete mystery.

Stretching across the futon, Sakura took note of the time. The questions mounted the more answers she received. There seemed to be some things she would have to fight to discover, but at least tonight she could find out what it was that brought these three together as a team, and her as their leader.

.

Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose. Ever since the Fourth Shinobi War, submissions for the academy had sky-rocketed. Unfortunately, that also meant he had to reject more and more applicants. Konoha's children were enlisting for the glory of recognition instead of the honor of serving their village. Naruto had proved to be an incredible asset, but a horrible role-model for the true nature of a ninja. It was okay to have dreams of becoming hokage. It was an ill-suited trait to want the position strictly for hero-worship.

With a loud sigh, the chuunin teacher leaned back into the creaky chair and addressed the shadowy corner. "Sakura-san. What can I do for you?"

The pale moonlight highlighted her pink hair when she stepped out into the room and purposefully strode towards his desk. Her chakra was in check, but her imposing gait raised his hackles. She tossed the three photos of her genin on the desk. "Why did you choose these three for me?"

His eyes never left hers as he attempted to discover the nature of her supposed ire. "They were the best suited for you."

"Because of Shou-chan's genjutsu or Tarou-chan's taijutsu?" He could sense her unspoken queries about Manami. He had them himself.

"Well…" Suddenly, Iruka knew she was going to take his answer the wrong way. "No. Not really."

She cocked an eyebrow. "They aren't exceptional at chakra control."

"I never said they were." His eyes sheepishly darted away the harder she glared at him.

"Iruka-sensei, what aren't you telling me?"

"You see, Sakura-san, with your team history, those three seemed like the best fit."

Her gaze widened, but not out of shock. It was actually the answer she had expected. "I got the troublemakers because of Naruto!?"

"Well," the man rationalized, "Sasuke wasn't exactly an angel, either."

His sarcastic quip did not cheer her up, but she did drop her hostility. Dejected, she turned and leaned against the edge of his desk and stared out the open window. "For once, I thought I was going to be judged by my own merit, not in comparison to those two."

Iruka allowed the pause to stretch out before shaking his head. "Sakura-san, why do you think a team stays together for so long? It is because you are meant to be compared with the others." She scoffed and he was reminded that the intelligent , sweet-natured girl he had taught years ago had matured into the woman she was always meant to be- rough edges, shaky temper, and the kindest heart in all of Konoha. "Naruto is practically a divine being by now, but most still see Sasuke as the superior ninja because of his intellect. They are teammates, friends, and still rivals because of that comparison. You strove to be stronger for their sake and I ask you, what's wrong with that?"

Sakura's voice quieted. "What's wrong with wanting to be strong for your own sake?"

"I think you just answered your own question, though I don't believe anyone thinks you're weaker because of the trials you went through for your team. It was you who put the effort in, but those boys inspired what was already inside of you. If you are not being strong for someone else, what point is there in the strength?"

She did not respond as his answer sunk in, and after a long moment Iruka sighed and continued. "Just like your genin, you three all had great talent as individuals, but could not overcome your personal obstacles without a team helping you along."

Finally, the kunoichi turned and looked more gently his way. He was surprised someone who had surpassed him in so many ways could still value his wisdom so much. "Sakura-san," he smiled, "if anyone can ensure those three become ninjas, it is you."

The disquiet of her concern gave away, and when she returned his smile Sakura felt content. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

"You don't have to call me that. I have not been your sensei in a long time, Sakura-san."

Unwittingly, she rolled her eyes. "Not you too…"

…

Thank you for reading/reviewing! :]


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own anything Naruto.

98% KAKASAKU. Sorry it took so long.

…

The heat wave broke the following night. Lightning tore through the sky, purifying the shadows of even the darkest crevices of the intricate village. Glass windows and dry streets shook from thunder that vibrated underneath the city. The clouds swirled heavily, drooping ever closer towards the thirsty earth, and Sakura relished in the release of the coming rainfall while she slept.

Once the storm finally unleashed she dreamt of rain. It solaced her overheated skin and she tangled her legs further in the cool sheets. She dreamt of the flutters of thick raindrops trailing over her thinly veiled curves. They enveloped her as lover's hands would, pleasantly burning with every cold drop. She squirmed, attempting to catch every one of them, and as the humidity reached its peak Sakura felt her anticipation climb. The rain caught in her hair. It tickled her ear. One drip bounced off her forehead. Another grazed her nose and itched her cheek. Suddenly frustrated, she awkwardly wiped the latent feeling away and the dream transformed from pleasing to annoying. Every small flick now attacked instead of enticed, and when the whispering winds called out her name she groaned, waking up enough to cover her ears with her thin pillow. She barely heard the storm sigh before lightning struck the bottom of her foot.

She jolted up in bed, her entire body surging with adrenaline from the electric shock, a kunai gripped tightly in her hand, and her groggy eyes tried to focus in the dim light.

From the black corner of her room, a deep voice lectured her like thunder. "Ninja should not sleep so soundly."

The fading sensations of desire and irritation from her dream only added to her confusion. "Kaka-?"

"Unless you plan on using that as a surgical tool," he interrupted, a hint of white chakra fading from his fingertip, "I am going to insist that you put the weapon down."

Sakura groaned as she slipped the small blade away. "Why are you-" The scent of blood finally broke through her muzzy perspicacity. It was suddenly so thick in the room that it blocked out the jarring and melodic storm outside. She instantly went into her medic mode and the springs in the mattress squeaked with her frenzied attempts to untangle herself. Her feet quickly met the cold floor, beating harshly against the wood as she rushed over to Kakashi's slumped figure in the dark.

"What happened? Where are you injured?" Her arms wrapped around his wide torso as she took his full weight before guiding him back to her bed. "Why are you here?"

Lazily, he moaned and collapsed on her disheveled sheets. "Well, it wasn't to be interrogated."

"Just lie down. I need to grab my kit."

He complied, flopping back onto the pillow still warm from her skin while Sakura rushed around her small apartment. Bolts of light flashed throughout her place, casting ominous shadows and highlighting Kakashi's gory footprints trailing down the hall. She padded back to her room when another strike hit and enabled her to momentarily see the blood-soaked and tattered man in her bed.

"Your sheets are nice," he said lethargically.

Sakura knelt beside him and teased, following his attempt to keep the mood light. "You mean they were." A large water bowl sloshed and her medical kit thumped as she set them down on the floor next to her.

"I can replace them."

Her hands glowed and began hovering over his wounds. "I think you owe me about a hundred meals first."

"Just put it on my tab." She reached his ribs and Kakashi hissed through his teeth.

"Bare with me," she warned. "I have to cut these clothes off."

"Just-"

"I know," Sakura assured, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't use a cheap trick like saving your life to see your face, anyways."

"So," he groaned as her chakra sliced up the front of his vest and shirt, "You _are_ still interested."

She smiled, keeping her panic well in check. "Mildly." She leaned in closer to his wound when a small, cloth-and-paper ball fell from her hair. Reaching up, Sakura brushed three more just like it onto the bed and identified them as the annoying raindrops from her dream. "What were you throwing at me?"

Kakashi reached into his pocket and produced the dark red mission scroll, now ragged from the missing torn pieces. He grinned, the shadows from the storm deepening the dips in his mask, and shrugged. "It was either this or shiruken."

A low rumble from outside echoed in the small space and she finally noticed her bed littered with the tiny projectiles that had missed her. She had never known his aim to be this bad. "Good choice."

When his clothes were out of the way, she turned on her bedside lamp and was finally able to see the full extent of the damage. He had field dressed a large gash into his ribs, but the bandaging was sloppy for a seasoned ninja. She pushed her chakra deeper into his system, ignoring his lackluster moan, and sensed the foreign poison coursing through his system.

"Shit," Sakura mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

Her pause gave away the extent of his injuries. "I said you look like shit."

"I _feel_ like shit." His head lolled weakly as he fought to stay awake. "So… this is what you sleep in?"

For a short moment, Sakura paused purging his system of the toxin to look down at her clothes, not fully realizing the oddity of the question until she remembered what she was wearing. The baggy, breathable navy shorts had faded to gray after years of washing and her large tank, which smelled a little ripe, hung off her slender frame. The bindings that encased her chest were visible from the deep dip in the front as she leaned over her patient. "Whatever," she mumbled, trying to brush it off. "It's comfortable…. Stop staring!"

"I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Just what!?" She pushed her chakra deeper, chasing out the pesky poison in a less gentle manner.

Kakashi noticed and winced. "Well, you always wear such feminine combat clothes. I did not expect this."

She sighed. "I just fell asleep after training in my living room. These aren't actually my pajamas."

Another few minutes passed in silence and the storm calmed to a steady rainfall. She worked steadily, and though she knew his mission was of the highest classification, she still tried to discern where this poison might have come from and where her ex-sensei was when he got hurt. When his system was clean of most of the drug and collected within the water bowl, Sakura quickly inspected it. The toxin was a highly concentrated numbing agent, with a bit of hallucinogen mixed in for good measure. There was no way to tell how long he had been affected by it, but the chemical makings were not done by an amateur. Her mind raced with possible remedies and she returned to suturing his wound.

"What do you wear to bed, Sakura?"

His low voice was thick with exhaustion, but due to the familiarity of the question it had seemed intimate, and the way her name rolled off his tongue without an honorific sounded natural enough to make her shiver. Her cheeks flushed and she suddenly became too aware that he was not a patient in the hospital, but a half naked legendary ninja in her bed in the middle of the night. Sakura gulped. "…How much blood did you lose?"

He side-eyed her sardonically and replied, "You're the medic."

"Well, I only ask because you might be delirious."

"Why, because I am curious what you wear to be-" His eyes shot wide open and body went rigid upon realizing what he was asking. Sakura was sure he would have blush if his body could have spared the blood. The man did not balk at much, but retaliation from Sakura was definitely on that short list. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Her cheeks burned and she strained to hold back her smile. "Only if you don't watch your mouth. And it isn't just that," she explained, getting off subject to save him any more humiliation. "You've been poisoned."

"Ah, well, that explains some things."

"Such as?"

"Why I can't feel my right leg."

The heat completely left her face when she scoffed. His gash in his side was still gaping, but the suture was holding and the bleeding had stopped. Two of his ribs were cracked and Kakashi fidgeted when Sakura carefully set them and sealed the bone together. Over the next hour she worked at stitching his wound closed, knowing no matter how great her efforts his body would be marked with yet another scar. Occasionally, her eyes would flick towards unnamed others over the expanse of his chest, the tight muscles of his arms, and finally at the legendary scar over his closed eye. Every wound had a story. In the center of the village, peaceful nights were filled with boisterous nins sharing their favorites and showing off a series of stitches or exposing their marred flesh, whether by burn, blade, or bad choice in a bed partner. The off-color slash that marked Kakashi's face was a tale no one repeated, yet everyone now knew. Sakura knew the significance of it, but it had always been a part of him. It was the unknown wounds that sparked her curiosity. They each had a mission, a weapon, and a person behind the hurting and healing. His skin knitted together under her hands and she realized that every time he looked at the new blemish on his side Kakashi would be reminded of breaking into her apartment in the middle of a storm and her tattered workout clothes. She was forever on his skin and she hoped he would never resent her for it.

Once she was assured that he was stable, Sakura took a deep breath and wiped the film of sweat from her clammy forehead. "Why did you come here? Why not the hospital?"

"You are the hospital."

She shook her head. "I haven't worked there in months." Although her hands felt weak and burnt from using her chakra for so long, she wrung out a wet cloth and began to gently clean the blood from his side.

"But you are the one who always treats me. Besides, you should work on your skills so you aren't out of practice when you go back." His words began to slur as exhaustion and the last harmless bit of the drug worked through his system.

She smiled and joked, "If I go back, then I will _never_ see you. And who says I am?"

"It would be the worst loss our hospital has ever had if you don't."

Sakura replayed the conversation with Iruka two nights ago and felt the self-doubt come back. "You don't think I should have become a teacher, do you?"

"That's not what I said," he replied and shook his head. "Right now, those kids need you. But the whole village will need you as well."

"I think they would have been fine with almost anyone."

"Not true." His tongue clicked dryly. "Naruto and Sasuke… they need you."

She paused before handing Kakashi her own glass of water from the nightstand. "Oh, _those_ kids." Turning her head to give him privacy as he drank, she stared at the small bookcase against the opposite wall and rested her hand over his injury absentmindedly. Her books on poisons and treatments collected dust ever since her responsibilities had shifted to being a jounin instructor. A few paperbacks on ninja tactics and philosophies for teaching, dog-earred from recent readings, now sat on top along with her team's files, and she felt as if no matter what she did she was missing out on something important. "Well, I can't be in two places at once, can I?"

The empty glass clinked once he clumsily set it down and slipped his mask back on. "Why do you think I was always late?"

Sakura giggled and turned her attention back to him. "We always thought it was because you didn't want to be with us."

His head rolled back completely into her pillow and he breathed deep. "That's nonsense. Who wouldn't want to be with you?"

Kakashi's compliment came off as more personal than it probably was. The steadying storm outside rumbled with distant thunder and put her nerves on edge, or it could have been how she just noticed how warm he felt against her fingers and how his natural musky smell was no longer tarnished by the iron scent of blood. Instead, he smelled like the rain, the wind, and the sweet, earthy sugi trees from the training fields. The adrenaline rush from before now settled low in her gut, making her shoulders tremble and body glow with warmth. He breathed in deep and the dibs in his chest were punctuated by the soft moonlight that broke through the weakening storm clouds. Every anonymous scar unexpectedly begged for her fingers to trace them and, in an instant, she was brought back to her dream.

There was something basal about the feminine power, one she had recently grown confidence in, which she now employed with the males in her life. Sakura saw no fault in being a woman and their interactions were not suggestive. The flirting between her and Kakashi was even playful, awkward, and harmless. But, covered by the dark of her apartment she realized this was the first time they had ever been truly alone together, and her normal shyness slowly dissipated from the intimacy. Kakashi had always seen her as a teammate and now acknowledged her as an equal, but once she acted like a woman instead of a playful girl, he had safely treated her as such. Touching him now, she realized how much she enjoyed it.

Tonight, her innocent flirting wanted to develop into something dangerous. She knew logically she shouldn't push him, or this… but it had been many years since danger had stopped Sakura.

"Nothing," she spoke enigmatically, her soft voice bridging the small space that separated them.

His labored question tentatively escaped his dry lips. "… What?"

"Most nights," she teased, "especially when it is hot, I don't wear anything to bed." It was a lie. A ninja always had to be prepared at a moment's notice. Unlike Ino, Sakura usually bound her chest and wore leggings to make it easier to get dressed should she need to quickly. That, however, just did not seem… sexy.

"Sakura…" His widened eyes glazed over.

"Yes, Kakashi?" The words rolled off her tongue in a deep, but still unsteady, coo. Her calm drop of the honorific visibly shook him.

"This is a hallucination, isn't it?"

"Why," she urged, high off her own feminine effect. "What are you imagining?"

His shock turned fearful. Suddenly, she felt guilty, and unprofessional, for bating a drug-laden and injured man. Kakashi was obviously comfortable enough with her to trust her when he needed help, and she was pushing him away. He probably could not discern reality from the hallucinations he had to be experiencing when he came to her, and now she was made him uneasy.

Feeling ashamed and desperately desiring seclusion, Sakura began to stand. "You should rest, Kakashi."

With a surprising amount of strength, he reached out and gripped her retreating arm. "This is real, isn't it?" He pulled her back his side, close enough for her to see the abnormal panic in his eyes. "I'm not bleeding out in some forest by myself dreaming about you, am I?"

She blushed genuinely and reached out to stroke his masked cheek in reassurance, but the anxiety grew in his expression instead. She wasn't acting like herself, so it was no wonder he could not tell if she was real. Sakura sighed and then firmly flicked his forehead; the loud _thunk_ proving to be more cathartic than the flirting. "Pervert."

He blinked once, then twice, and the pause that stretched after her aggressive gesture brought reassurance to them both. "Ow." His eyes began to roll back as the pain and fear receded. "Good to be home."

Sakura rose and patted his head on her way into her living room, leaving him and the odd desires she had felt to rest. "Sleep."

.

As expected, Kakashi had disappeared before she awoke the next morning. On her nightstand, propped against the empty water glass, was a note saying, "I.O.U." and signed by Kakashi's trademark henohenomoheji. As far as legal tender went, it was about as valuable as one of Tsunade's promissory notes, but she smiled at it all the same. She took care in gathering up her bloodied sheets and blankets to throw them out, but couldn't help but catch the scent of his skin on them. Somehow, it lingered with her, along with a hint of embarrassment, until she left to meet her team.

Manami was leaning against the towering gate of the town's entrance throwing small rocks at another genin tasked with repainted the worn, white characters reading 'Konoha'. Tarou continually adjusted new bracers that cut into his thick hands while sitting with his back propped against Shou's, who snores echoed off the tall walls. Sakura appeared in a puff of smoke just in time to catch the painting genin that fell from a rock hitting him on the head. He squirmed in her grasp to get at the laughing girl and she recognized him as one of Naruto's students. She couldn't quite remember his name, but felt he deserved retribution and released him to gain it. Manami and the boy quarreled in the dirt as she approached the rest of her team.

"Glad to see you are all on time, though Shou doesn't appear to be completely prepared."

With a snort, the blonde flinched in his sleep and fell to the ground. Tarou shrugged. "He kept me up half the night boasting about how he could take this mission on single-handedly."

Sakura's head tilted. "Do you two stay together?"

"No," the boy calmly replied, deliberately withholding a complete answer, "Just when there are problems at home."

She wanted to push the issue, but a grimy Manami walked up, nursing a scratched cheek, and kicked Shou hard in the shins. "Are we leaving or wha-AAA!"

The half-awake boy successfully swiped at her feet and both were growling at each other the next instant.

Sakura looked towards Tarou pleadingly and, with a nod, he reached out and knocked both on the top of the head. "You two. Stop."

Before any other confrontation could start, Sakura clapped her hands. " ** _IF_** you are ready to act like ninja, I think we can be on our way."

With one last scornful look, the pair stood and took spots on opposite sides of Tarou. Sakura did not bother to withhold a frustrated sigh and, after waving to the gate guards, they began walking on the slightly muddy ground away from the village.

The trek was not far, but long enough for the lingering humidity to hinder their pace. During their only water break, Sakura piled up her hair and scoured through her pack, only to find that she had forgotten hair ties. Though she knew it would make her appear unprepared, she immediately began to ask the other female.

"Hey, Manami-chan," she said sweetly, "do you happen to have any…"

The girl raised a condescending eyebrow, pointing to her pixie short hair, and both boys chuckled before each handing her one of their own.

She hid her unconfident blush, but at least the itchy ends of her hair were no longer tickling her neck.

After another half hour of quiet travel, to which she accredited the weather and not their willpower, Sakura began to review their mission. "You all were briefed about what we are facing up ahead. There have been lower-class nin bullying local civilian businesses for financial support in the guise of a "protection tax". No one has recognized any of the oppressors as locals, so we are to assume these shinobi are from another territory. Our mission is to relieve the town of the rogue ninja, but also discover their country of origin."

"Keh, how are we supposed to do that?"

"By their fighting style, mostly," she explained. "Also, most D-rank ninja boast about where they are from."

"Well," Manami questioned, and it was her first words since they left Konoha. "How did the town even know they are so lowly ranked?"

To this, Sakura looked back and smiled pointedly at Shou and Manami. "They quarrel with each other. Constantly."

The genin huffed, blushed, and went quiet once again. Chiming cicadas began to fill the air as the day grew later and Sakura thoughts trailed to Kakashi. She remembered how he handled being in the same position she was in now. He had seen the obvious rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke and he had nurtured it appropriately. How was anyone to know the cataclysmic consequences of leaving them to their own devices, or how it was exactly this oversight that would allow their friendship to develop to a point where they would save the world together? Before Sasuke had left the village, before the betrayal and attempts on each others' lives, they had fought on top of the hospital. The rift only grew wider from there, but Kakashi had promised Sakura one day it would be as it was before. He was sincere, but also very wrong. It had taken her a long time to recognize that with the information given to him, any worthwhile teacher would have done exactly the same thing, even if she held onto the false hope and hint of resentment for far too long afterwards. They were all together once again, but of course things were different. As an adult, she knew it was childish to ever think it would be any other way.

She had been a child at the time, though, just as the three ninjas behind her were now. Sakura worried about failing them, about accidentally leading them down a wrong path by hindering their personal strengths or evolving destructive ones. Every day with her team changed how she viewed her uncertainties and she was no longer bothered that she would make the same well-meaning mistakes her teacher did, but focused on the genuine concern and care that was behind every decision he made for them. Being in a similar situation helped her understand him a little better.

More and more he was transforming from her enigmatic sensei from her childhood. He was a respectable ninja, still a bit of a pervert, and a friend. He skipped out on bills, but was always there when you needed him. Last night, however, she had crossed a line she had not meant to, and Sakura could not help but see him as an attractive man.

…

A/N: There are probably some errors. I'll fix them later.


End file.
